Movable, self-standing wall partitions and removable adjustable dollies therefor



Nov. 29, 1960 J. P. REINHARDT MOVABLE, SELF-STANDING WALL PARTITIONS AND REMOVABLE ADJUSTABLE DOLLIES THEREFOR 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed July 12, 1956 lll|ll"--\llllill\lllh. "'IHII mIHIIIIIWIH.

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MOVABLE, SELF-STANDING WALL PARTITIONS AND REMOVABLE ADJUSTABLE DOLLIES THEREFOR John P. Reinhardt, New York, N.Y. Atlas Industrial Corp., 849 39th St., Brooklyn, N.Y.)

Filed July 12, 1956, Ser. No. 597,531

12 Claims. (Cl. 189--34) I This invention relates to movable, self-standing wall partitions and removable adjustable dollies therefor.

It is particularly directed to movable partitions on which pictures or other decorative objects may be hung.

An object of this invention is to provide a partition of the character described which shall have the appearance and thickness of a wall and which shall yet be easily movable to different positions in the room.

Yet another object of this invention is to provide a movable wall partition and adjustable dollies detachably attached thereto for raising the wall slightly so that the wall may be rolled easily from one part of a room to another, and whereby after the wall has been repositioned the dollies may be detached therefrom to let the wall or partition remain standing in its new position.

Yet another object of this invention is to provide a partition wall of the character described provided with outrigger means to help support it in upstanding position against tilting or falling down.

Still a further object of this invention is to provide a strong, rugged and durable partition wall of the character described which shall be relatively inexpensive to manu facture, easy to manipulate, and yet practical and eflicient to a high degree in use.

Other objects of this invention will in part be obvious and in part hereinafter pointed out.

The invention accordingly consists in the features of construction, combinations of elements, and arrangements of parts, which will be exemplified in the construction hereinafter described, and of which the scope of the invention will be indicated in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings in which is shown various illustrative embodiments of this invention,

Fig. 1 is a front elevational view of a partition wall embodying the invention with dollies attached thereto and with parts broken away and in cross-section;

Fig. 2 is an end view of the structure shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a partial top plan view of the structure shown in Fig. 2 with parts broken away and in cross-section;

Fig. 4 is a perspective partial view of the lower portion of one end of the base of said wall partition;

Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken on line 55 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken on line 6-6 of Fig. 5;

Fig. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken on line 7--7 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken on line 8-8 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 9 is a cross-sectional view taken on line 9--9 of Fig. 7; and

Fig. 10 is a partial horizontal cross-sectional view corresponding to one end of Fig. 7 and illustrating a modified construction.

Referring now in detail to the drawing, 10 designates a device embodying the invention, the same comprising a partition wall 11 supported when being moved by removable dollies 12 detachably attached thereto at opposite sides thereof.

The partition wall 11 is free-standing, even when the dollies 12 are not attached thereto. Said partition 11 comprises a base 14 having a front wall 15, a rear wall 16, end walls 17, a bottom wall 18 interconnecting the front, rear and end walls, and front and rear outrigger flanges 19 extending forwardly of the front wall and rearwardly of the rear wall, for supporting the partition against tilting or falling down. The base may be made of metal and may be fabricated by welding the various walls together.

Attached to the four corners of the base by welding, or in any other suitable manner, are vertical angle irons 20. The angle irons 20 project above the upper edges of the walls 15, 16 and 17, as shown in Fig. .4 of the drawing. Each angle iron is welded to two surfaces and nests within a corner of the base. Additional angle irons 21 are welded to the insides of the front and rear walls and extend upwardly above the upper edges of said front and rear walls. These angle irons 21 may be equally placed apart and they are all similar. The angle irons 21 each have only one flange welded to the inner surface of either the front or rear wall.

Welded to the upwardly projecting portions of the angle irons 20 at each of the four corners of the base is an angle iron 23. The lower edges of the flanges 27, 27a of the angle irons 23 rest on the upper edges of the base 14. The angle irons 23 extend up to any desired height, depending upon how high the partition is to be. The upper ends of the angle irons 23 terminate a few inches below the upper end of the partition 11. Welded to. the upwardly projecting portions of the angle irons 21 and having their lower ends resting on the front and rear walls, are angle irons 24, similar to the angle irons 23 and of similar height.

It will be noted that only one flange 24a of each of the angle irons 24 rests on the upper edges of either the front or rear wall of the base. The angle irons 23, 24 may have longer flanges than the flanges of the angle irons 21, as clearly illustrated in Fig. 7. The inwardly extending flanges 25 of the angle irons 24 may be interconnected by cross brace bars 26. The inwardly extending flanges 27 of the corner angle bars 23 are interconnected by transverse members, bars 28.

Mounted on the upper ends of the angle irons 23, 24 are front and rear horizontally extending elongated angle irons 30. Each angle iron 30 has a horizontal flange 31 and a vertical flange 32. The horizontal flanges 31 rest on the upper end of the inwardly extending flanges 25 and 27 of the angle irons 24 and 23, respectively. The upwardly extending vertical flanges 32 of the angle irons 30 are in the plane of the front and rear walls 15 and-16 and hence in the plane of the flanges 27a, 24a of the angle irons 23 and 24 which overlie said front and rear walls.

Welded to the upper ends of the inwardly extending flanges 27 of the corner angle irons 23 and the inwardly extending flanges 25 of the vertical angle irons 24 are angle-shaped members 35. Each angle-shaped member 35 has a vertical downwardly extending flange 36 contacting the inner surfaces of the flanges 27 or 25, and welded thereto. Extending from the vertical flanges 36 are horizontal flanges 37 disposed in a plane above the upper edges 32a ofthe flanges 32 of angle irons 30.

Attached to the horizontal flanges 31 of the angle irons 30 are angle-shaped members 40. Each angleshaped member 40 has a horizontal flange 41 bolted as by bolts 42 to the horizontal flanges 31 of angle irons 3 0. Extending downwardly from each flange 41 is a vertical flange 43 contacting the flanges 36 and extending therebelow. The angle members 40 extend between the flanges 27a of the corner angle irons 23 and between the flanges 24a of the intermediate vertical angle irons 24.

Mounted on and supported by the horizontal flanges 37 is a top board or panel 45 which may be made of wood, sheet rock or any other suitable paneling material. The panel 45 may be fixed to the flanges 37 by bolts 45a or in any other suitable manner. Attached to the sides of the flanges 27 of angle members 23 is a vertical board 46 of wood, or any other paneling material. The panel 46 may be attached by screws or bolts 47 to the vertical flanges 43 of the angle members 40. Front and rear vertical panels 50 may be attached to the front and rear walls of the base and to the co-planar flanges 27a, 24a of the angle members 23 and 24. The front and rear wall panels 50 extend from the top surfaces of the flanges 19 to the upper edges 32a of the flanges 32 of the horizontal angle irons 30. Said panels 50 may be attached to the flanges 32 by bolts or screws 51 and may be attached to the angle-shaped members 24 by means of expansion bolts 55, as shown in Fig. 8 of the drawing. The reason for expansion bolts is that it would not be practical to get inside of the wall after the panels 50 have been placed in position for attachment.

It will be noted that pictures may be hung on the wall 11 by means of wires or cords 58 attached to hooks 59 engaging the upper edges of the panels 50 or of the panels 50 and the flanges 32.

It will be observed that ordinarily the wall 11 will stand of itself being supported by the bottom plate 18 and the flanges 19. The partition wall, however, may be somewhat raised and easily moved from one position to another by the use of the pair of removable vertically adjustable dollies 12, shown in the drawing.

The dollies are similar and symmetrically disposed, one with respect to the other, so that only one of them will be described. Each dolly 12 comprises a frame member 70 having an intermediate wall 71. Extending outwardly in opposite directions at an inclination to the wall 71 are webs or walls 72. Said walls 72 are formed at the outer ends thereof with vertical sleeves 73. The central portion 71 is formed with through openings 74 through which extend bolts 75 which may be screwed into tapped openings 76 in the end walls 17. The bolts 75 pass through openings 79 in the panel 46.

Fixed to the upper end of each sleeve 73 is a top cap 80 formed with a central through opening 81. Extending through the opening 81 is a vertical screw 82 formed at its upper end with a polygonal wrench engaging head 83. Fixed to the screw 82 is a collar 84 contacting the underside of the cap 80. Extending into the sleeves 73, through the lower end thereof, is a plunger 85 formed with an internally screw threaded opening 86 having threaded engagement with the lower end of the screw 82. The plunger 85 is formed with a longitudinal key-way 88, and screwed to a wall of the sleeve 73 is a set screw 90 projecting into the key-way 88. At the lower end of the plunger 85 is a plate 92. Rotatably attached to the plate 92 in conventional manner is a caster 93 adapted to contact the floor.

It will now be understood that the plunger 85 tends to press the screw 82 upwardly so that the collar 84, fixed thereto, is retained in engagement with the underside of the cap 80. Upon turning he screw 82 by engaging the head 83 with a wrench, the sleeve 73 will move up or down depending upon the direction of rotation.

When it is desired to move the partition, the dollies are attached to the partition by means of the bolts 75. Thereafter, the screws 82 are turned to raise the partition off the floor so that weight is transferred to the casters 93. Thereafter, the partition may be moved easily from one position to another. When the partition is in its new position, the screws 83 may again be rotated to lift the casters until there is no weight on them, and the partition then rests on its bottom plate 18 and the flanges 19. Thereafter the bolts 75 may be unscrewed and the dollies removed.

If desired, the angle members 23, 24 may be made of perforated metal to lighten the weight.

In Fig. 10 there is illustrated a modified construction. Where the partition is to be moved end-wise up to a wall, the member 72 would prevent such action. Therefore, in Fig. 10 each dolly 12 is replaced by a pair of bolts 12a, each dolly 12a comprises a bracket 72a bolted, as by bolts 75a, to wall 50. The brackets 72a are located in somewhat spaced relation from the ends of the partition. At the end of the brackets 72a are caster assemblies disposed outwardly of the outrigger plates 19 and similar to the caster assemblies on the dollies 12.

It will thus be seen that there is provided a device in which the several objects of this invention are achieved and which is well adapted to meeting the conditions of practical use.

As various possible embodiments might be made of the above invention, and as various changes might be made in the embodiment above set forth, it is to be understood that all matter herein set forth or shown in the accompanying drawings is to be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. A movable self-standing partition comprising an elongated base, said base comprising an elongated bottom wall adapted to contact a floor on which the partition is supported, elongated side walls extending upwardly from the sides of the bottom wall and end walls extending upwardly from the ends of the bottom wall and interconnecting the side walls, the height of said side and end walls being at least as great as the width of the end walls, said base being open at its upper end, brackets detachably attached to said base above the lower end of said base, said brackets having portions extending outwardly substantial distances beyond the side walls of the base, means vertically adjustably mounted on each said portion of said brackets, for lifting the base off the floor, and rolling means at the lower ends of said vertically adjustably mounted means to facilitate rolling the partition on a floor with the partition in lifted position, and whereby when said partition is in desired location, the adjustably mounted means may be adjusted to lower the partition until the bottom wall of the base contacts the floor so that said brackets may be detached for leaving said partition standing on its lower end at said desired location, side and end panels attached to the side and end walls, respectively, of the base and extending upwardly therefrom, a top panel, and means to support said top panel.

2. The combination of claim 1, in combination with outrigger flanges fixed to the base, and extending coextensively with and outwardly beyond the side walls of the base and in the plane of the bottom wall of the base, and contacting the floor when the base contacts the floor.

3. The combination of claim 1, the side panels having upper edges spaced below the top panel whereby pictures and the like objects may be hung on the upper edges of said side panels to lie against the outer surfaces of said side panels.

4. The combination of claim 2, the side panels having upper edges spaced below the top panel whereby pictures and the like objects may be hung on the upper edges of said side panels to lie against the outer surfaces of said side panels.

5. The combination of claim 1, each of said vertically adjustably mounted members being individually adjust able.

6. The combination of claim 1, the lower ends of said side and end panels contacting the outer surfaces of said side and end walls, respectively, of said base, and means fixed to the inner surfaces of the side and end walls of the base for supporting said side and end panels.

7. The combination of claim 6, said last means comprising vertical corner angle irons having their lower ends resting on the upper edges of the corners of the base and extending upwardly therefrom and attached to said side and end panels and vertical angle irons attached within the vertical corners of the base and extending upwardly above the base and being attached to the inner surfaces of the first mentioned vertical corner angle irons.

8. The combination of claim 7, in combination with outrigger flanges fixed to the base, and extending coextensively with and outwardly beyond the side walls of the base and in the plane of the bottom wall of the base, and contacting the floor when the base contacts the floor.

9. The combination of claim 8, the side panels having upper edges spaced below the top panel, whereby pictures and the like objects may be hung on the upper edges of said side panels to lie against the outer surfaces of said side panels.

10. The combination of claim 2, said adiustably mounted means being disposed outwardly of said outrigger means.

11. The combination of claim 1, said brackets being attached to the end walls of the base and each having a central portion contacting an end wall of the base and of said inclined portions.

12. The combination of claim 3, in combination with reinforcing means for the upper edges of said side panels lying alongside said upper edges, and means to support said reinforcing means.

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